With or Without Kidd, LeBron Wants to Win Now
Having previously made his feelings on the acquisition of Jason Kidd known to the entire world, LeBron James was understandably discouraged yesterday after he found out that Kidd had reportedly been traded to the Mavs.
James also added that he wants to win immediately and refused to throw his talent-challenged teammates under the bus.
‘’Of course, I wanted [Kidd] to be part of our team, but if we couldn’t get him, I am glad he is out of the East,'’ James said. ‘’I hope he does well for that franchise.'’
‘’I enjoy having the guys I have in this locker room,'’ James said. ‘’I would never trash any of my teammates. I respect my teammates more than ever, but at some point, you have to get better, and I hope we can do that.'’
See, LBJ is going about this all wrong. Sometimes, it’s OK to trash your teammates and risk being labelled a prima donna. Kobe did it, and look how happy he is now.
36 Responses to “With or Without Kidd, LeBron Wants to Win Now”
Feb.14 at 2:02 pm
tt says:
Finally someone who agrees with me.
Feb.14 at 2:12 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
“Dont worry about it, hes legit.”
Feb.14 at 2:15 pm
namik says:
its awesome how lebron provides the headlines for his story. “i dont trash my teammates”"i’m a player qho males everyone better”….. I think it was Myles who said tha hopefully he doesnt hurt himself patting himself on the back. I agree.
Feb.14 at 2:16 pm
namik says:
**who makes and that** sorry typing on phones is a b
Feb.14 at 2:31 pm
Jukai says:
You’re right, how dare a guy who doesn’t trash his teammates and makes all of his players better advertise the fact that he doesn’t trash his teammates and makes all of his players better.
Feb.14 at 2:41 pm
TADOne says:
YEAH!! Um…..what?
Feb.14 at 2:43 pm
Cheryl says:
It’s not necessarily the teammates that should be called out, but Mr. Ferry. Maybe that’s who should be the object of said trashing.
Feb.14 at 2:51 pm
namik says:
if a guy does do all of those things and has people like you sweating his every move, then there should be no need for him to expound on the greatness of his own game. If he says he likes the team as it is, there is really no point saying he doesnt trash his team. But lebron loves him some lebron.
Feb.14 at 2:54 pm
Kyle Ian says:
See you in Brooklyn Bron.
Feb.14 at 2:55 pm
Jukai says:
It was in an answer to a question, Namik. Lebron doesn’t hold press conferences to announce he’s a great team player. Of course, if I was Lebron, I do that everyday. “I just brought you all out here today to remind you that I’m friggin awesome.”
Feb.14 at 3:15 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
LeBron is aware that he’s only 23 and the Cavs management has spent a LOT of money trying to surround him with complementary players, right? They’re not the Clippers, just content to collect gate money and luxury tax money year after year. I’m sure every superstar in the L would prefer to play with other superstars. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Sorry.
Feb.14 at 3:23 pm
Kyle Ian says:
All LeBron is doing is putting soundbites out there so when he jumps to the Nets he’ll be able to say, “Hey, I tried.” It’s history in the making.
Feb.14 at 3:28 pm
namik says:
jukai I would rather he just came out and said “I’m the sh*t” everday because yknow, he kinda is. Its these subliminal messages that he keeps trying to slip in while trying to be modest that annoy me.
Feb.14 at 3:30 pm
Jukai says:
I think you’re overlooking things Namik.
Feb.14 at 3:30 pm
Jukai says:
Also, if Lebron is gonna go anywhere, he’s gonna head south to Miami.
Feb.14 at 3:38 pm
what says:
Spending a lot of money doesn’t mean it is being spent well, just ask Isiah. The Cavs don’t have a legit #2 scorer, a legit point guard, a consistent post scorer and defender (by the time Big Z can get across half court the shot clock expires). They are basically Lebron, some shooters, and the inconsistent Gooden and Hughes who are not especially good at anything. Danny Ferry has done a pretty bad job building a team around Lebron to be honest.
Feb.14 at 3:47 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Comparing the Knicks and the Cavaliers is ENTIRELY unfair. The Cavs haven’t brought in guys just because of their names and gaudy scoring averages. Hughes was brought in as a second scorer and defensive stopper who inexplicably broke upon arrival (and they forgot to keep the receipt). Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall were brought in as three-point shooters to spread the floor, Eric Snow was brought in to take on some of the ballhandling responsibilities, Gooden as a second scorer (when it became apparent that Hughes wasn’t going to be one) and rebounder, Andy Varejao as a post defender and rebounder. And Z was obviously already there, and a terrific complement to Bron. Keep in mind that Varejao and Pavlovic are hurt (and missed half the season before that) which really hurt them. And, East or no, they made it to the Finals last year. The Knicks? They haven’t won a playoff GAME since when, 2001?
Feb.14 at 3:56 pm
albie1kenobi says:
so they are just investments with returns that are below expectations then. in that case you can’t really fault the investor too much.
Feb.14 at 4:41 pm
what says:
Drafting Luke Jackson ahead of about 10 better players who could have helped the Cavs. Giving up a 2005 lottery pick thanks to the Jiri Welsch trade. Signing the obvious contract-year wonder Larry Hughes to one of the top 5 most ridiculous contracts in the league. Then you look at their payroll.. they are paying out $76 million this year. Would ANY other contender trade their 2nd or 3rd best player for the Cavs’ 2nd or 3rd best player? Hell no. Eric Snow, Drew Gooden, and Donyell Marshall, one-dimensional as they are, do not deserve $6 million per year. It is insane how overpaid most of the Cavs’ core is. Lebron, Varejao, and Gibson are really the only players on that team who are getting paid what they deserve. Look I’m not saying the Cavs’ management is the same as Isiah. I’m just pointing out that the Cavs have also spent a lot of money on mostly a bunch of trash. You can make a solid case that Daniel Gibson has been one of their 3 most reliable players this year, and he is getting paid about 5% of Larry Hughes’ salary. If the Cavs had spent their money properly he shouldn’t even be getting significant playing time, because they would have mid-level veterans ahead of him who deserve minutes. Lebron has every right to be pissed off at least to an extent at Cavs’ management.
Feb.14 at 4:54 pm
cracker says:
The coach gets replaced before Lebron will be
Feb.14 at 6:16 pm
tealish says:
Haha I love the last 2 lines there. But hey who knows, Hughes must be finally out of his slump! LOL KIDDING OF COURSE
Feb.14 at 6:50 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Kobe is the living embodiment of the lyrics “You can’t always get what you want/But if you try sometimes/You just might find/You get what you need”.
Feb.14 at 7:11 pm
DJ Leon Smith says:
Russ is right, the Cavs are at least trying - it seems their main problem was they wanted to try too hard to improve too quickly and show LeBron they’re serious about winning, especially with the “LeBron to the Brooklyn Nets! He’s friends with Jay-Z!” rumors that float around every second week. It could be worse though, they could have given Rashard Lewis a max deal. I think Orlando can sign another free agent in 2015.
Feb.14 at 7:40 pm
damascus says:
lebron trippin…. he is still very young… he needs to be patience… he got plenty of years to have a great team to help him
Feb.14 at 7:54 pm
Andrew Price says:
still dont got my slam
Feb.14 at 8:43 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Larry Hughes actually had two consecutive 20/6 seasons before the Cavaliers signed him. There may have been some durability questions, but no one was calling it “one of the top 5 most ridiculous contracts in the league” at the time. I even question whether it is now. Marshall and Jones may be overpaid, but Gooden seems about right, as does Ilgauskas and Varejao. And how can you fault them for relying too much on Gibson and not give them credit for drafting him in the first place? Varejao was a good pick, too. It’s amazing, they reached the Finals last year–which no one expected them to do yet–and now they’re being punished for it. Why would they trade away assets (what few they have) for a soon-to-be 35-year-old Jason Kidd? Ask the Bulls what can happen when you hit fast-forward too soon.
Feb.14 at 8:45 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Everyone wants to win now, now, NOW! Slow down and enjoy the ride, people.
Feb.14 at 8:57 pm
Sesa says:
It seemed that, he also enjoyed narcissism in Jason-Kidd-Steve-Nash kind of way.
“I’m the best, I’ll make my teammates better. Respect me!”
Feb.14 at 9:46 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
And the Luke Jackson hate is pure hindsight, too. It’s not like it was viewed as a bad pick at the time:
http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1699&dept_id=46370&newsid=12093529&PAG=461&rfi=9
Feb.14 at 9:46 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1699&dept_id=46370&newsid=12093529&PAG=461&rfi=9
Feb.14 at 9:52 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Oh yeah, and search “Luke Jackson draft” and click on the Morning Journal story. People actually thought it was a GOOD pick at the time. Hindsight, 20/20, all that. And from ESPN: “Insider Projection: Another Mike Miller? Shooting will come at a premium in this draft and Jackson’s impressive improvement in that department has really helped his stock. The fact that he’s mature and experienced also help him. He’s one of the few guys in this draft who can come in right now and help a team. He’s moved from a borderline first round pick into a likely lottery pick with great workouts.”
Feb.14 at 11:40 pm
TonyG says:
Lebron will get what he wants one day..Kobe got it, and he doesn’t deserve it all..he throws his teammates under the bus, and doesn’t know how to lead a team..Lebron is a great leader, and he’s still young..he deserves it..and this is coming from someone who dislikes Lebron and the Cavs..
Feb.15 at 12:31 am
tealish says:
TonyG, I cannot agree more. Kobe sucks, and this is coming from a Kobe fan.
Feb.16 at 12:23 pm
jeremy says:
LeBron should have kept his mouth shut and just played with what hes got because thats really all you can do anyway unless you can get a trade,which I dont listen to those ESPN trade rumors because every year they predict this big trade that never happens.Play with what you got LB,you made it to the finals without Kidd.Just play your best and make everybody around you better and you will have a shot at making it back.
Feb.16 at 12:37 pm
jeremy says:
Yo Russ,just read the article about luke jackson you had posted on that link.Guess theyre real happy about drafing him now huh?What happened to this guy?He was a really good player coming out of college and I actually thought he was going to be a really goo player at the next level.But shortly after the season started,you never heard another word about him.I dont get it.This guy had talent.I want to hear Russes take on it.Read this dude!
Feb.17 at 7:53 pm
thehawkwillneverdie says:
I HATE VILLANOVA! LeBron will win. When he gets a real pg, he doesnt need j kidd he needs daniel gibson to grow up which he will